Sunday 10th August - 15:00 - Free

Revd Canon Michael Garland, Trustee and Treasurer of The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, introduces a selection of favourite and lesser-known hymns on the theme of beginnings, in the glorious surroundings of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral. Featuring the Lowry Singers (Armagh), conducted by Elizabeth Seale, with organist Ven Dr Peter Thompson.

Sunday 10th August - 20:00 - Free

A spectacular celebration of local and international talent, featuring the award-winning Miskelly Chorale from Co. Down. They will be joined by Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin – renowned French organist and improviser, and the first woman to be appointed Titular Organist of the Grand Organ at Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Music to include Rutter’s When Daisies Pied, Lauridsen’s Sure On This Shining Night, Widor’s dazzling Toccata from Symphony No. 5 and improvisations on a selected theme.

Monday 11th August - 13:30 - £5

Competitors take to the console in the first round of the Senior Final in front of an expert jury: Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin (France), Simon Harden (Ireland) and David Hill (UK). Witness top talent perform in one of the world’s leading international competitions for organists aged 21 and under.

Monday 11th August - 19:00 - £5

The excitement continues as organists compete for the top prize of £4,000, plus prestigious recitals at venues including: Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue (New York), Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, St George’s Hanover Square (London), Trinity College Cambridge, Glasgow Cathedral, St Michael’s Church (Dun Laoghaire), Galway Cathedral and St Anne’s Cathedral (Belfast).

Tuesday 12th August - 10:00 - £5

An opportunity for choir directors, singers and organists to see the Charles Wood Singers rehearse under the direction of David Hill and Philip Scriven, and to put questions on various aspects of choir-training.

Tuesday 12th August - 10:30 - Free

A wealth of prizes and learning opportunities are up for grabs as the junior class takes place in St Malachy’s Church.

Tuesday 12th August - 13:00 - Free

A wealth of prizes and learning opportunities are up for grabs as the intermediate class takes place in St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral.

Tuesday 12th August - 18:30 - £5

Perform for and learn from one of the world’s finest recitalists, improvisers and teachers. Not to be missed.

To participate (£25) please email info@niioc.com. Observers will be most welcome.

Tuesday 12th August - 20:30 - Free

Round off the day with a stunning hour of Bach’s organ music, performed by Luke Bond (Assistant Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor) and the Charles Wood Festival Organ Scholar, Pascal Bachmann. With music including Bach’s impressive Ricercar à 6, BWV 1079/5 – a technical high point of his work – it promises to be a rich and atmospheric evening of Baroque brilliance.

Wednesday 13th August - 10:00 - £5

Another opportunity for choir directors, singers and organists to see the Charles Wood Singers rehearse under the direction of David Hill and Philip Scriven, and to put questions on various aspects of choir-training.

Wednesday 13th August - 11:00 - Free

Get tips on how to programme a recital effectively, engage audiences and present your best self from one of the world’s finest organists.

Wednesday 13th August - 19:30 - £10

Join us for a joyful evening of choral singing led by the inspirational Dónal Doherty, Artistic Director of the City of Derry International Choir Festival and conductor of the acclaimed choir Codetta. To mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, we’ll sing from The Four Seasons: A Choral Celebration by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange – a vibrant and imaginative reworking of Vivaldi’s iconic masterpiece for voices. The evening will also include a selection of favourites by John Rutter, ensuring a warm, welcoming and rewarding musical gathering for singers of all levels.

Thursday 14th August - 13:10 - £10/Free

The Charles Wood Girls’ Choir travel to Portadown to perform a lunchtime concert with music by Bach, Gibbons, Mozart, Parry, Rheinberger and Rutter. The choir is directed by Christopher Gray and accompanied by Luke Bond. This event is sponsored by Richard Pianos, Portadown.

Thursday 14th August - 15:30 - £5

Returning for its third year, the competition affords three shortlisted composers the opportunity to hear their own composition performed by members of the Charles Wood Singers in front of an expert panel, comprising multi-award winning Irish composer Seán Doherty and the Festival’s Artistic Director David Hill. This year’s text, Psalm 46: 1-5 & 10, has been chosen by our Patron John Rutter to mark his 80th birthday. The winning work will be professionally recorded and performed at the Festival’s Gala Concert.

Thursday 14th August - 19:30 - £5 (£25)

An opportunity for singers across all genres to work with the Festival’s internationally-acclaimed Vocal Coach, Paul Farrington, on issues of technique and interpretation, and for others to gain insights through observation. The Festival’s Piano Intern, Matthew Clemmet, accompanies.

Friday 14th August - 13:10 - £10

Relax and enjoy dazzling performances from 17-year-old pianist Senan Sheridan (Northern Ireland Young Musician of the Year 2025) and classical harpist Rosie Murphy, recipient of the 2025 BBCNI and Arts Council Young Musicians’ Platform Award. Music includes Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky – a suite of short piano pieces depicting 10 artist canvases – and Manuel de Falla’s Spanish Dance No. 1 arranged for harp by Marcel Grandjany.

Friday 15th August - 14:30 - £5

Professor Fiona M. Palmer, a distinguished musicologist and performer, based at Maynooth University, shines a spotlight on 3 choral conductors who coloured Charles Wood’s student years: Joseph Barnby, Arthur Sullivan and Charles V. Stanford. Expect some eye-opening tidbits in the historic setting of the Armagh Robinson Library.

Friday 15th August - 19:30 - £15/£5

This special event brings together a distinguished line-up of musicians closely associated with the Festival for a magnificent evening of music. The Charles Wood Singers, under the direction of David Hill, will be joined by the Charles Wood Girls’ Choir, conducted by Christopher Gray. They’ll be accompanied by Philip Scriven and Luke Bond. Soprano Ellie Donald, Senior Runner-up in the 2025 Charles Wood International Song Competition, will also perform alongside acclaimed pianist Ruth McGinley, as well as the freshly crowned Senior Winner of the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition.

Saturday 16th August - 12:00 - £10

Packed full of variety, this celebration concert will feature a number of the talented singers who have worked with Paul Farrington during the Festival week. Spanning classical, folk and music theatre, performances will be accompanied by Matthew Clemmet, the Festival’s Piano Intern.